Early life and pre-debut Shownu was born in
Chang-dong,
Dobong-gu in
Seoul, South Korea on June 18, 1992. He was initially a trainee of
JYP Entertainment, for about two years, after winning first place in the JYP auditions in 2009. Shownu auditioned for JYP Entertainment, as it had been the company of the singer
Rain, who inspired him to become an idol. He also gained praise from the company for his dancing skills but still decided to leave, citing "conflicts with the company" and "feeling of stagnation". Shownu continued to participate in the idol industry, becoming the backup dancer of
Lee Hyori and doing promotions with her, as well as appearing in the music videos for "Bad Girls" and "Going Crazy". He also appeared in the music videos, such as "Talk to My Face" by
D-Unit and "Pitapat" by
Bestie. After Shownu auditioned and joined
Starship Entertainment, he became part of the project group Nu Boyz, alongside
Monsta X members'
Joohoney and
Wonho, as well as
#Gun. In December 2014, Shownu competed in
Mnet's
survival reality show No.Mercy and debuted in the hip-hop boy group Monsta X, alongside the other six contestants, in 2015.
2015–2017: Debut in Monsta X and solo activities He debuted as the leader and main dancer of Monsta X, with the
EP Trespass, on May 14, 2015. Since debut, Shownu had made significant solo appearances on variety and reality shows, including being a regular cast member for two seasons of
Lipstick Prince, as well as appearing as a contestant on
King of Mask Singer in 2018, as "Okey Donkey", He also appeared in
Sistar's "Shake It" music video. In June 2016, Shownu made his first solo appearance in a magazine for
InStyle Korea.
2018–2021: Solo appearances and other solo activities In January, he was selected to host the Korean-Japanese music show
The Power of K, alongside
Block B's
U-Kwon and
Momoland's
Nancy, which was broadcast simultaneously in Korea and Japan. On October 26, Shownu collaborated with the British band
PREP's lead single "Don't Look Back", for their forthcoming album, alongside
Hwang So-yoon of
Se So Neon. Shownu had sought out PREP for collaboration as he was already a fan of the group. He also appeared in magazines with member Wonho for
Nylon Korea in January,
GQ Korea in August, and in October for
Dazed Korea. Shownu also made a solo appearance in Taiwanese magazine
Bella in February. In 2019, he was again featured in a magazine alongside Wonho, for
Elle Korea in August, as well as on the cover of
BEAUTY+ in October and again in November 2020. Shownu is a credited writer on "Mirror" from
Follow: Find You, and as a writer and composer on three of Monsta X's tracks from their sixth studio album
All About Luv; including "
Who Do U Love?" featuring
French Montana, "Middle of the Night", and "Beside U" featuring
Pitbull. Shownu also co-wrote "Someone's Someone", alongside the
Before You Exit members. In 2020, prior to the release of Monsta X's eighth EP
Fantasia X, he injured his back, and the group delayed their comeback by two weeks to allow Shownu time to heal properly from his injury. Prior to the group's live-streamed concert "Live From Seoul with Luv", scheduled for July 25, he had to undergo emergency left eye
retinal detachment surgery, and then the concert was postponed to August 8, to give Shownu the time to recover from surgery. He featured alongside Monsta X members in magazines several times in 2020, including appearing alongside
Minhyuk and Joohoney for ''
Harper's Bazaar Korea
in May, Kihyun for W Korea
in June, and with Joohoney for Esquire Korea'' in November. In August, it was announced he would be featuring on the soundtrack for ''She's My Type
, alongside group member Minhyuk, marking his first soundtrack appearance, independent of Monsta X, since 2011. The song is titled "Have a Goodnight", and was released on September 11. On October 15, Shownu released a rock-style song for the soundtrack of the Korean television drama Tale of the Nine Tailed'', titled "I'll Be There". In October, he had a solo feature in
Dazed Korea for Monsta X
Dazed Project,
GQ Korea for a fashion film, and appeared on the back cover of
1st Look Magazine Korea. In November, Shownu began appearing as a judge on Mnet's survival reality show
Cap-Teen, making him the youngest judge on the show. In March 2021, Shownu appeared in
Elle Korea, as well as in
Dazed Korea. Shownu with Monsta X member Minhyuk were chosen as the cover models for the first issue of
Y Magazine Korea. Shownu was invited to the grand opening of the
Dolce & Gabbana store, held in
Gangnam-gu, Seoul. On March 17, it was announced that he would become part of the horror film
Urban Myths. On May 4, Starship announced that he would be taking a hiatus from Monsta X and would not promote for their upcoming comeback due to health problems related to his eye retinal detachment. In July, Shownu with other Monsta X members'
Hyungwon and
I.M joined the
Pepsi's "Taste of Korea" summer campaign, releasing a promotional single "Summer Taste", alongside Rain,
Brave Girls members' Yujeong and Yuna, and
Ateez members'
Hongjoong and
Yunho. In June, Shownu was announced to join as a judge on Mnet's dance competition show
Street Woman Fighter 2, starting on August 22. He also graced the cover for July issue of
Singles. On June 21, Shownu attended the Korea launching party event of SimiHaze Beauty, held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. On June 29, he appeared at the pop-up opening event of
TAG Heuer's "Iconic Collection Carrera", with Hyungwon, in commemoration of its 60th anniversary, held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. On July 25, Shownu formed Monsta X's first official sub-unit
Shownu X Hyungwon, along with Hyungwon. The duo released their debut EP
The Unseen, with the
lead single "
Love Me a Little". He participated in the choreography. In August, Shownu had graced the cover of
Allure Koreas September issue. On September 8, he attended the launch event of
Canada Goose's "Live in the Open" F/W collection, in collaboration with Rok Hwang and
Matt McCormick, held in
Seongdong-gu, Seoul. On September 14, Shownu attended the launch event of
Calvin Klein's capsule collection, in collaboration with
Son Heung-min, held in
Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The brand hosted its Fall 2023 Calvin Klein Jeans' collection event, celebrating fashion and music, where he also attended on October 19, held in Tokyo. On September 26, Shownu attended the Aspesi's pop-up store opening, held in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. On October 23, he attended the launch event of
Hermès' "Please Check In" S/S collection, held in Seoul. On November 8, Shownu attended the launch event of
Boucheron 2023 Carte Blanche's "More is More" exhibition, held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. He was a special guest for 2023
Fuerza Bruta Wayra in Seoul on November 26, December 1, and December 3, with four additional appearances. On December 1, Shownu attended the launch event of
Swarovski's flagship store, held at
Dosan Park in Seoul. In January 2024, he attended the launch event of
Marni's special capsule collection, in collaboration with YK Jeong, held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Shownu was also chosen to be part of
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, playing the role of
Anatole, the aristocratic and seductive
hedonist, charming and attractive officer who captivates women in an instant, and
narcissist who enjoys women and alcohol, which will run from March 26 to June 16. On February 28, he attended the launch event of
MAC Cosmetics' MACximal Silky Matte Lipstick pop-up store, held at
Lotte World Atrium Square in
Songpa-gu, Seoul. In June, it was announced that Shownu will host a new web variety show
Nopogy, alongside
NCT 127's
Jungwoo. In July, he appeared on
KBS2's reality competition program
Make Mate 1 as a surprise advisor of the team that performed Monsta X's "Love Killa". In April 2025, Shownu had a surprise collaboration with world-renowned DJ and producer
Steve Aoki at the 2025 EDC Korea. On October 24, he participated in the soundtrack for
TVING's dating reality show
Transit Love Season 4, titled "As You Wish". ==Personal life==